The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a skin disorder due to circumcision is dismissed. The claim for PTSD is denied. The appeal for respiratory disorder (asbestos exposure) is denied. The appeal for sleep disorder is denied. The appeal for headaches is denied. An initial rating of 20 percent for left ankle degenerative joint disease is granted. Appeals for coronary artery disease, hypertension, corns of the bilateral feet, and hemorrhoids are all denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for a skin disorder due to circumcision in May 2015. The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran does not have PTSD. The Veteran's respiratory disorder is attributed to smoking rather than active duty service. No asbestos exposure during service was confirmed, and no asbestos-related diseases were diagnosed.
- Claimed conditions
- skin disorder due to circumcision, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), respiratory disorder, sleep disorder, headaches, left ankle degenerative joint disease, coronary artery disease, hypertension, corns of the bilateral feet, hemorrhoids
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- November 20, 2018
- Citation
- 18151900
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 18151900.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide additional medical records and undergo a VA examination.
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